1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blind having louvers hung from each of a plurality of carriers that can run within a head rail, and more particularly to a blind permitting the space under either desired end of the opening of the head rail to be opened.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional blind of this kind has louvers hung from each of a plurality of carriers that can run within a head rail. When the operating device provided at an end of head rail is manipulated, the operating force of that operating device is transmitted to a master carrier to move the master carrier along the head rail, and the following carriers are similarly moved in the same direction as the master carrier to change the louvers between a folded state and an extended state into which they are pulled out.
When the window is to be opened, closed or cleaned, louvers in the extended state would obstruct the action, and they have to be folded. Even if the louvers are in the folded state, they may still obstruct the action near the end of the head rail where the louvers are gathered. As a solution to these problems, there is known a vertical blind whose the rear-end carrier is provided with a magnet or some other means so that the rear-end carrier is detachably held by the base end of the head rail (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-160965). By using this holding means to disengage the rear-end louver from the base end of the head rail, the space under the base end of the head rail is opened at the time of opening, closing or cleaning the window to shift the louvers to a position where they would not obstruct the action.
However, in order to open the space under the base end of the head rail of the blind disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application cited above, the rear-end louver has to be grabbed directly by hand and disengaged from the base end of the head rail, and therefore the louver may be smeared or twisted. Moreover, if the head rail is rather high, it will be difficult to grab the louver at the rear end and move the carriers in the horizontal direction, resulting in poor workability and making it impossible disengage the louver smoothly from the base end of the head rail and moved out of the way.
An object of the present invention, attempted in view of the problems noted above, is to provide a blind whose louvers can be folded from one end onward to open the space under either end of the head rail.